The Big Red Devil

"The Devil drug me into the darkness outside. Without any light, it seemed to swallow me. I didn’t dare pray, but I tried to scream just like my parents had." John Harker hasn't slept in years. One day, he's attacked with horrific abandon and falls into a coma at Mercy Hospital in Peoria, Illinois--the same hospital he's received psychological therapy from in the past. Five years later, he mysteriously wakes and leaves. After reviewing the security footage, one of the Neurology board's understudies becomes infatuated with John and pursues him. Both men fall into a twisted obsession that grows darker every day. Meanwhile, a pastor and his family are slaughtered in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The city is plunged into terror by the sheer brutality of the slaughter and the daughter remains missing. As the days count down to Halloween, Detective Steven Rollins works to track down the media dubbed 'Clergy Killer.' He races to snuff the shadows before more blood is shed and the small city loses itself completely to fear and the Devil at the door. In times when the numbers don't align, the code continues to fail, and the sky is silent, the only rule is that you break them all. Grand Forks learns that the Devil is real. He's as real as magic. Now you see him. Now you don't.

About the Author

John refused to write his own biography. He said it would be 'pompous and arrogant.' I told him he still needed to write one--he refused. He's stubborn like that. He didn't know what to write or say about himself. But, I have a pretty good idea. He doesn't like doing the standard boilerplate. He doesn't like telling you what his interests or hobbies are, he doesn't think you care. He doesn't want to sound like everyone else and I'll tell you why. He won't say it, but I will. He's not like everyone else. He's not like any other author I've ever read and I've read over a hundred different ones. He writes horror, the likes of which I've never experienced. His horror is gripping and borders a lot of different genres. He merges a lot of different influences and he does it scary well. His writing is merciless most times, very visceral, almost primal. He's got a way of cutting to the moral core and fabric of what we are. I know what you're thinking, and for the most part, his writing is that sharp--the horrific parts, I mean. But what really makes him different is his heart. He's haunting and poetic about how he puts things. John's writing is almost more beautiful in his shades of shadow and ugly than any romance I've ever read or any book about beautiful things. My husband is able to do those things because he's come from a long road, a hard and sharp one. I don't have space here to describe it all to you, but trust me when I say his life before he met me was as sharp and terrible as his writing can be. Those things, as terrible as they were, were almost his greatest gift because it gave him a voice that's the most unique I've come across. I'm no scholarly reviewer and I don't have any literary degree. But, I do read. I know what I like. I don't make time for drivel. I've tried to hate John's work cause I'm not really a horror fan . . . but, he convinces me every time the pen meets paper. I can't ever quit reading and that's the only time I've used that cliche and meant it that honest. We both got our degrees from Valley City State University and he did some graduate work. He was unfulfilled, so he opted for a full-time job, family time and as much writing as he can muster. I was so glad he did. He creates magic, he really does. Give him a chance. You won't regret it. Trust me. Becca Huber Lancaster School District #356 Math Instructor/Wife/Illustrator

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